Srinagar: Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are facing a renewed challenge as militant groups appear to be shifting their base of operations deep into the region’s dense forests and high-altitude terrain. In a significant shift in tactics, recent intelligence and encounters suggest that terrorists are now constructing underground bunkers in remote, wooded areas — abandoning their previous reliance on local hideouts.
The latest discovery came during a counter-terrorism operation last week in the hilly terrain of Kulgam district, where two militants were neutralized. As the joint forces scoured the area, they unearthed a well-concealed secret trench stocked with food supplies, gas stoves, cooking utensils, and a cache of weapons and ammunition.
“This isn’t just about one or two militants hiding in the woods,” said a senior intelligence officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It indicates a broader strategy — a deliberate move to use forest cover and terrain to their advantage, now that they’ve lost safe havens in villages.”
A Strategic Shift Rooted in Isolation
Officials believe the shift stems from the declining local support for terrorism. As villagers grow increasingly wary of extremist ideology and more willing to cooperate with authorities, militant groups are finding it harder to blend into civilian populations or seek shelter in urban or semi-urban areas.
“Now, with the population distancing itself from militancy, militants are forced into the wilderness,” said B. Srinivas, former DGP of Puducherry and a veteran of J&K operations. “These underground bunkers are a response to that loss of cover in civilian areas.”
These hideouts, dug into hillsides or beneath thick canopies, are reminiscent of early-2000s insurgency tactics, particularly those observed during Operation Sarp Vinash in the Poonch sector in 2003, when troops uncovered extensive militant networks buried deep within forested regions.
Recurring Pattern in Southern Kashmir and Jammu
Security officials say this trend is most evident in southern Kashmir’s Kulgam and Shopian districts, as well as parts of the Pir Panjal range in Jammu. These areas, covered in dense pine forests and inaccessible ridges, provide natural camouflage and are now being exploited to build concealed bunkers and arms depots.
“They’re not moving constantly anymore,” said the intelligence officer. “They’re digging in and setting up semi-permanent bases, which is a concerning development.”
Adding to concerns is the possibility that militants are being instructed from across the border to entrench themselves in these middle-altitude zones — not just to survive, but to launch carefully timed attacks from hard-to-reach strongholds.
